The Department of Education (DepEd) in Palawan clarified Tuesday that Grade 6 completers will have graduation ceremonies contrary to an earlier order that stated they will only cover students in senior high school (SHS).
Grace Estefano, information officer of the DepEd Schools Division in the province, said Education Secretary Leonor Briones has already clarified the confusion and said that DepEd Order No. 002, Series of 2019, issued on February 18 “is the correct and agreed upon order of the agency.”
She said Briones made the clarification by issuing DepEd Order No. 25 on March 1 stating that Grade 6 completers will also have their graduation ceremonies for School Year (SY) 2018-2019.
“Na-clarify na ‘yong tungkol sa graduation ng Grade 6 completers, meron din sila base sa memo,” she said.
In Palawan, Estefano said around 22,000 Grade completers are expected to attend their graduation ceremonies instead of the “moving up or completion rites” that DepEd ordered earlier.
She explained further that the original February order has, in fact, “been circulated before an unauthorized change — from “graduation” to “moving up” ceremony for Grade 6 learners — was done by personnel who, in good faith, believed they were only making a correction.”
“More or less ay 22,000 ang expected Grade 6 graduates this school year (from Division of Palawan),” Estefano said.
According to the statement, the matter of shifting the end-of-year ceremony for Grade 6 learners is still under discussion yet changes to be made will not be implemented this school year to “allow sufficient time for information and preparation by field units”.
In a press statement on March 2, DepEd said that the matter of shifting the end-of-year ceremony for Grade 6 learners from graduation to moving up is still under discussion by the Department, and no decision to transpose has yet been made.
“Should a decision to change be made, it will not be implemented this school year to allow sufficient time for information and preparation by field units,” it said.
